"Normal speech"

"Thought"/Flashback

"Kyuubi/Other voices"

A/N:

Disclaimer

I do not own Naruto… This is merely for my, and hopefully everyone else's, enjoyment. Thank you!

Recap:

Sasuke escapes Orochimaru without having his body stolen and sets out. Although Naruto knows of this, he instead focuses on his new mission. He and the Leaf shinobi assigned to this mission meet with the Land of Honey's Feudal Lord and his "Guardian Ninjas". They are informed that there has been a kidnapping and set out to investigate...

On the Trail

Their meeting let out and the Leaf-nin gathered in a room to come up with a plan in private…

"So what do you think, Captain Yamato?" Neji asked.

"Are you thinking what I am…?"

Naruto spoke up, "Something seems odd. How could someone sneak into a place surrounded with guards and elite ninjas and sneak out with a hostage without being noticed…? Could it be...?"

"You don't think… that this was an inside job, do you? Sakura said.

Kiba then said, "For them to get by 12 elite shinobi undetected at all is a feat that would seem impossible. I hate to say this, but… our culprit could be one of the 'Guardian Ninjas'…"

"There could even be more involved," Hinata added.

"If that's so, then the question is… who and why?" Shino stated.

Just then there was a knock at the door. Yuzuki entered to say, "I'm sorry for all of this." She was assured that the misunderstanding before was behind them, but she went on to say, "This entire thing has to be my fault… The night that little Kaede disappeared, I was the last to see her. I saw her before she went to bed, but I…" She looked as if she was about to breakdown. She regained her composure and said, "I was really close with her. She was almost like a daughter to me, so I'm hoping that she is found before it's too late… If there's anything that you need help with, then please come to me or any of the 'Guardians'. We're at your disposal," she bowed.

As she left the room, the Leaf shinobi began to ponder who could have been responsible for this. They figured that Yuzuki couldn't have done such a thing, but then again she could just be trying to cover her tracks. It was hard to determine at this point. First thing was first though, they would try to find the missing girl, and, if lucky, they would pick up a clue of who it was that was behind this.

"We'll begin searching for Kaede, but we also have to keep an eye on our suspects," Yamato mentioned.

Orders were given and the ninjas went on their way. Kiba, Shino, and Naruto headed to Kaede's room to find a way to track her. Neji headed to the top of the palace to hopefully find her or anyone that was suspiciously lurking about the forest. Sakura, Sai, Yamato, and Hinata were to keep an eye out for suspicious behavior among those closest to the Feudal Lord. Picking up her scent, Naruto and the others left the room to rejoin their teammates. Seeing them leaving the palace, the "Guardians" approached…

"I would like to assist you," Yuzuki said. "We all would like to be of some help."

Since this could make things a bit easier for them to search and keep an eye on the suspects at the same time, Yamato agreed to allow it. Some would join in the search while the rest remained to provide protection.

"So, will all of you be joining us?"

Yuzuki spoke up, "Since we could encounter whoever did this, I'll come along. Let's switch things around so that those that got into the scuffle earlier can rest and recover. It would also be helpful to have a healer just in case, so Daisuke, you should come along also."

"Wait, I want to come as well," Kazuki said. "I want a chance to redeem myself."

Yuzuki considered it and replied, "Well, I suppose that if they didn't mind, you could take someone else's place." No one spoke up so Yuzuki volunteered, "Chinatsu…"

"What!? Why me?!"

"You and Izumi tend to butt heads too often. She's also more manageable. So…"

Chinatsu was in awe. She crossed her arms and puffed her now bright red cheeks as she was left out. They headed out and split up to widen the search. Alone, Shino had his insects scour the forest as he waited back at the palace with Neji. Sai and Sakura grouped with Izumi and Shin…

"Maybe I should search from the sky," Sai weighed.

"That's a good idea… Go ahead. We'll search from here," Sakura told him.

Sai drew a bird and flew into the sky. He searched while keeping an eye on what was going on below, just in case. Both he and Sakura were shocked to find that Shin had suddenly gone missing in a short amount of time…

"That's nothing to be concerned about. Shin has a special jutsu in which he can accelerate to great speeds. He must be using it to quicken the search. He'll be back before you know it," Izumi explained.

Naruto and Hinata were with Kazuki and the Stone kunoichi Ayumu. As they searched for clues, Hinata couldn't help but notice Naruto occasionally looking at her from the corner of her eyes. It made her a little uncomfortable and was very distracting. She didn't know what to do…

"Hinata… There's something different about you," he said.

"Huh!?" she said surprised. "Oh, yes… My clothes were dirty and torn so I changed. Also, these are easier and hinder me less to move more freely," she told him as she showed off her outfit.

From head-to-toe Hinata looked a little different. Her hair was one of those new things to take in. It was still long with the usual bangs in front, but now she had some of her hair braided around her head, a "Reverse Roll". She still had her headband around her neck above her black undershirt. She wore a white-hooded, sleeveless, short blue kimono with the Hyuuga clan's crest in white and red on back, with a big white sash and a red string tied over it. She wore a long blue fingerless glove that went a little past the elbow of her left arm, tipped with white on the ends. She had a similar one on her right arm, but there was black over her fingers. This was her archer's glove. Under her kimono, she wore short black tights. She wore blue thigh high gaiters along with her sandals as well. Between it all, there was very little skin shown other than her toes, a sliver of her thighs, her upper arm, and her neck up.

She was happy that Naruto had taken notice, but she was also embarrassed that he was still looking her up and down. After a minute of analysis, Naruto said that they should get back to work as if the moment spent on focusing on Hinata had never happened. She was a bit relieved that Naruto wouldn't spend the entire time making a big deal about such a small change, but she was also a little disappointed that he didn't at least show some signs of liking it or hating it.

The group continued looking around. As they refocused on the task at hand, there were hopes that maybe something could be found. Naruto sniffed about but suddenly picked up on something coming at them… fast. Naruto grabbed Hinata and shockingly pulled her in close as they dove for cover. The others didn't understand why he had done this since all that they noticed was a short burst of wind.

"It's gone," Naruto said.

"Um… Na-Naruto…"

"What's gone?" Kazuki asked.

"Na-Naruto…"

"I felt a chakra signature coming this way, and something, or someone, just blew right by us," he told them.

"Oh, that must be--"

"Naruto…!" they heard a soft voice speak up.

They both looked down to a red-face Hinata as she told him, "C-could you… please get off of me… This is a little embarrassing…"

Naruto quickly jumped up with a blush of his own after finally realizing that he had had Hinata pinned under himself the entire time. Trying to hide his blush, Naruto offered to help her to her feet.

"He's a sensor…!?" Ayumu thought. "I'm sure it's nothing to be concerned about… Let's just continue looking," she nonchalantly stated.

Not wanting to waste time questioning the previous event, they got back to the search. Kazuki noticed that now it was Hinata who couldn't seem to keep her eyes off of Naruto, who tried his best to avoid making eye-contact with anyone. She was also constantly blushing. From this, he could tell and it started him thinking…

"So… how do you think the others are doing? Do you think Yuzuki is having any luck?"

"Huh? Hopefully they're having some kind of luck. I'm sure that they aren't in any trouble, but we need to focus ourselves… Why do you ask anyway? Are you worried?"

"He's worried about Yuzuki because he likes her," Ayumu revealed.

"N-no I don't…! I… I mean… I'm… worried about her, but… I don't like her that way!" Kazuki frantically denied… "But do you think they're doing alright? Maybe we should go check," he said, almost as if pleading.

"All we're getting are scents that belong to the '12 Guardians'," Kiba revealed.

They weren't having any more luck than any of the others… that is until…

"I think we found something! There's a faint trace of the girl's scent going down this way," Kiba shouted as he pointed down a dark woodland path.

As he prepared to head down the path, he was quickly snatched back by Daisuke as a strange gust of wind blew. Akamaru on the other hand had taken a step forward. As soon as he placed his paw on the path, the earth rumbled and everyone jumped back as the trees on the path began to fall over. Soon the entire area went up in flames as several explosions went off. This caught the attention of the other search parties and they all converged on this point. It was upsetting that the only clue that had been found only led to a booby-trapped, now useless, trail. The first day being a disappointment, the search party retired for now.

As they came back in the evening, they noticed a group of mounted and armed soldiers. Out front was Kohaku…

"Done already…? I knew that you ninja were useless," she stated.

"It's getting pretty late, and with the trap that we encountered earlier… it would be hazardous to continue into the night," Daisuke explained.

"You're all pathetic… That's my little sister out there and you're willing to give up so easily." She looked at Yuzuki and Naruto and said, "What was all that about finding her no matter what…!?"

Naruto's face scrunched up as this made him angry. He came forward and snatched Kohaku from atop her horse and dragged her back into the palace to have a "word" with her.

He whispered to her, "We picked up a few clues but there's a good chance that they all lead to traps… I made a promise to you and your parents that your sister would be rescue, and she will. Would it kill ya to have a little faith…!?"

Kohaku didn't say a word to Naruto. She walked by him and outside…

"We won't be heading out tonight… but be ready bright and early because we will find my sister!"

She dismissed her cavalry and started to head inside. As she did, she stopped momentarily to stare into Naruto's eyes as a sign that she was serious. If the shinobi weren't up to the task, then she would do it herself. Everyone followed and after a big somber dinner, they all turned in.

The next few days went something like this. It seemed that every time a potential clue or something was found that could determine the outcome of this case, be it by the Leaf ninjas or one of the "Guardians", it would be lost or destroyed by some freak incident. It seemed a lot like…

"Sabotage…!?" Sakura said in disbelief. "How can that be when we've been watching them all so carefully?"

"There're likely more involved. We can't keep an eye on all of them at the same time," Shino said.

Sai spoke up, "There is one that seems to be able to get around very quickly. He's able to run off and do whatever he pleases and be back before too much time passes. It could be that he may be covering up any clues we find and destroying them…"

"Me and Akamaru have found his scent everywhere we've been, but his comrades just explain it away like there's nothing suspicious about it," Kiba revealed.

"You… don't think that they all could be responsible for the kidnapping… do you?" Hinata questioned.

Neji chimed in, "It would make sense since the kidnapping would be a lot more manageable if all they had to do was sneak by the usual palace soldiers. When we questioned these soldiers, none of them mentioned seeing anything out of the ordinary that night. If all the 'Guardians' had a part in this, then they could all make up alibis for each other… but why would they do it? What would they have to gain?"

"Just when things start making a little more sense, everything is turned around," Naruto stated as he scratched his head.

"I guess that we're no closer to finding who it was that's responsible, but we have to find the little girl," Yamato said.

"How do we do that if every clue we find nearly gets us killed?" Kiba asked.

Yamato replied, "For now, let's just keep an eye on the 'Ninja Guardians' and any strange behavior they may exhibit. It's been a few days since we first arrived, so whoever is behind this is likely to check on her sooner or later."

"She may be hidden somewhere close in that case," Sakura added.

"Not close enough," Neji revealed. "Even with my Byakugan, I didn't find anything strange in the near proximity of the palace. Perhaps I should head out on the next investigation as well," he suggested. "It betters the chance of us seeing through these traps, and I may be able to find the girl even at the hindrance of these traps."

"That sounds like a plan," Yamato agreed. "Ok then… Tomorrow, we'll continue our search and leave Neji to investigate the areas where we encountered the traps. Hopefully we'll get somewhere this way."

The small meeting held by the Leaf shinobi was dismissed and they all headed their separate ways for the night. Not able to get a wink of sleep or even close his eyes long enough to try, Naruto decided to try something…

He cycled through hand-seals and quietly said, "Star Mapping…"

His eyes blackened as several bright spots lit up within them. He closed his eyes…

Naruto's mind cleared as he picked up on several life-signs within the palace. A couple of these signatures began moving about. Naruto figured that it was just the night-guards or something. He also recognized one. It was the hot-headed, ill-tempered Kohaku and her small unit returning for the night. Obviously she had very little to even no faith in Naruto's words because she had been out searching late every night. It was no big deal as far as Naruto was concerned because he figured that he would be doing the very same if it were his sister. There was nothing wrong with this, but then he noticed that while they were entering the palace, another signature was sneaking away. Naruto changed his sign to better check if the signature could use chakra. Finding that they could, Naruto figured that it was a shinobi… which could mean that it was one of the "12 Guardians". Like Yamato said, they must be going out to check on their hostage.

"Pinpoint…"

Naruto opened his eyes and hopped off of the bed. He crept through the halls and came to Kohaku's room. He then quietly entered.

Kohaku couldn't sleep herself and was just sitting on her bed. Once she noticed a figure creeping into her room, she immediately grabbed her weapon and charged the mysterious assailant. She was surprised when something long and furry wrapped around her spear and instantly restrained her. Out of the shadows stepped Naruto shushing her…

A mysterious hooded figure made its way through the forest. It traveled far before it came to one of the burnt paths of debris the Leaf shinobi had encountered and looked around to see if anyone was following. It then passed it and headed further before going down a path of thick and smelly bushes. After a small hike, the figure came to a mountain. It whistled and a boulder was rolled away by a few soldiers. The figure then entered and the armed soldiers stood guard outside.

"Ah, you're here," a man with shoulder-length black hair and pencil mustache said. He wore a majestic robe and had a haughty attitude as he was waited on hand and foot by a number of the soldiers inside. "So… how are things on your front?"

The figure said, "Things could worsen rather quickly. The Feudal Lord has hired shinobi of the Leaf Village, and they came awfully close several times to finding this place. I suggest that we leave here before we're discovered."

After giving an irritated sigh, the haughty man whined, "Fine… as long as it isn't another uncomfortable, stuffy cave where I have to be around these incompetent guards and their horrible and foul odors… Can't we just hold up at a nice motel, or maybe someplace better, like my--"

"No!" the figure denied. "If you're seen with the girl or if she's seen in someplace like a motel or your place then everything will be blown. What we're going to do is find another place to make a hidden lair and--"

The figure quieted as it heard the clanging of armor and the thuds of bodies hitting the ground. The figure peered out the corner of its eye and, along with the snobby man and the rest of the soldiers, was surprised to see intruders at the entrance.

"What!? How is this possible? I was certain that I wasn't being followed... How...?" the hooded figure thought in disbelief.

At the entrance of the once hidden lair now stood Naruto, Kohaku, Neji, Sakura, and Kiba and Akamaru.

Naruto smiled and said, "Nice place ya got here..."

End of chapter…

After being deterred in succession, it seems that the Leaf shinobi may have caught a break in the case…

After trailing a mystery figure, what have they stumbled upon?

Next chapter: What's really going on here…?